Storm
by NotCrazyJustWeird97
Summary: Graceland's newest addition is a misfit - but not the merry kind. Forced to move across the country against her will, Ellie resents her new home, and everything in it. Will she learn to fit in? Will she survive the storm?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_How long have I been in this storm? So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form? – Storm, Lifehouse_

The cool window was steaming up from Ellie's breath, as she leaned her cheek on it. Her hand rested beside her face, her fingernails tapping lightly on the glass. She watched as the plane moved down the runway, slowing down the further it travelled. She chewed on her lower lip until she could taste coppery blood on her tongue.

Finally, she was allowed off of the plane. Butterflies fluttered around persistently in her stomach as her feet touched the tarmac as she blinked her large eyes and began the trek into the terminal. Tying her hair back away from her face, she looked around for that familiar face. Nothing. Scoffing, she muttered to herself, "Figures."

Her feet echoed as she trudged to the baggage claim and stood, waiting for her bag to come around. As she waited, she watched other families reuniting, hugging, crying and kissing. There was none of that for her, because he wasn't there. He'd probably forgotten, or he couldn't be bothered to come and collect her. The second one seemed more likely.

The shiny new suitcase came into view, and her hand reached out, fingers locking around the handle as she heaved it off the conveyor belt and dragged it, huffing and puffing, into the lobby to take a seat on one of the hard chairs. Burying her hands in the pockets of her jacket, she felt the phone lying there and pulled it out, glancing at the screen for a brief few seconds. No message. No missed call. No excuse for not being there.

Stuffing the phone away, she tightened her grip on the suitcase, closed her eyes and began to drift into a dreamless sleep, all the while hoping that he would soon arrive.

* * *

When Paul awoke, it was dark outside. As his bleary eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he looked at the digital clock a few feet away from his head. The glowing screen informed him that it was 6:23 am. A small sigh escaped him as the number registered in his brain. Then he froze, sitting up and looking again.

Suddenly, he bolted from the bed, rushing to the nearest pair of jeans, lying discarded on the floor. His large hands fumbled to pull them on and do them up. He struggled to drag a t-shirt over his head, and stuff his feet into his shoes. Grabbing his keys and a jacket, he sprinted down the stairs, out the door and to the car, jumping into the front seat and starting the engine.

He cursed under his breath as he drove, weaving in and out of the traffic in his hurry to get to his destination. When it eventually came into view, he let out a deep breath as he pulled into a parking space, quickly shutting off the engine and clambering out, his feet pounding on the ground as he ran into the terminal.

Clusters of people were lying around, chatting and sipping hot drinks as they waited for their plane to arrive. His eyes swivelled this way and that until he saw her, hunched over on a chair, her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Her right arm dangled by her side, her fingers loosely holding her suitcase as she slept.

Paul made his way over, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he watched her grow nearer, until she was close enough that he could reach out and touch her. The moment his fingertips brushed the outside of her jacket, she jerked into life, eyes snapping open, sitting up and staring at him, her chest heaving.

After a few seconds, she relaxed, before her mouth set into a tight line and she stood, scowling up at him. "What time is it?" she demanded.

"Nearly seven," he answered, feeling the guilt in his chest building up like crazy as he saw her eyes darken. "Ellie, I –"

"No," she snapped. "I waited since three. I waited four hours for you, and you didn't come. Do you have any idea what could have happened? You were meant to be here, waiting, and you weren't. How could you do that to me?"

He sighed, running his palm over his jawline as he tried to think of what to say. "I had a long day. I went to sleep, Johnny was meant to wake me up and he didn't. I am so sorry, El, I really am," he told her.

Instead of her expression softening, like he expected it to, her brow furrowed in annoyance as she snarled, "Are you incapable of setting a damn alarm? Surely you have a clock! Would it kill you to use it?"

"You're right," he said. "After all, it's not like I was _exhausted _after watching a man - my friend - get _shot_. Nah, I should've been completely emotionless and not relied on my friend to help me out. Ellie, if you were so concerned, why didn't you call me?"

"Because I expected you to be here! I expected you to take some responsibility, for once, and think of your own child! I hoped that you might end up being just a little bit late, not four freaking hours late!" she fumed.

Biting back a retort, he took in a deep breath and held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, if we carry on, we're gonna end up going in circles. Why don't we just go home, hm?" he asked.

Rolling her eyes at him, she muttered, "Sure, let's go." He could have sworn as he picked up her bag and turned to leave that he heard her add, "But it's not my home."

* * *

Graceland was buzzing with life as Paul and Ellie arrived through the front door. The smell of waffles drifted through the air, sweet and fresh and warm, almost comforting to the tired pair. The sound of a conversation reached their ears as they made their way to the kitchen.

Four people stood around the little island, laughing as they exchanged jokes and sipped coffee. They all looked up as Paul walked in, Ellie following a little way behind, her face unreadable as she looked around.

They could all see the resemblance between father and daughter. She had his curly, jet black hair, although hers was long, tied back in a messy ponytail. They shared the same dark eyes and mocha skin. The only thing she didn't seem to have inherited from his was his height. Whereas Paul was tall and well-built, Ellie was short and slender, barely reaching her father's shoulders.

Ellie looked around at the people watching her: three men and one woman. And they were all staring right at her. Clapping a hand on her shoulder, Paul pointed to each of them in turn. "El, meet Lauren, Donnie, Johnny and Jakes. Guys, meet Ellie," he said. Looking down at his child, he added, "There's also Charlie and Paige, but they're not here right now."

"So, this is Graceland," Ellie muttered. "I thought it would be more ..." She struggled to find the words to describe the house.

"... More organised?" Paul finished. She nodded at his suggestion. "Well, this is our home, El, it's not a museum."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "This is your home, Paul, not mine," she remarked. "I'm not here by choice, in case you hadn't noticed."

Scowling at her, Paul folded his arms around his broad chest and informed her, "Eleanor, it took a lot of effort to get you over here, you could at least show a little gratitude. Otherwise, you would have been taken into care. This is the best option for you and you know it."

As if she completely forgot the other people in the room, Ellie narrowed her eyes and bit out, "You know, I could think of a way better option, and I wish to God that I could take it."

"Well, you can't. Don't take it out on me, okay? Now, can we just drop the subject, please?" he asked.

After a few moments of awkward silence, she inclined her head the tiniest bit, still keeping her eyes fixed onto her father. That was when Johnny clapped his hands together, making everyone else in the room jump, and demanded, "So … who wants breakfast?"

Lauren glowered at him, brow furrowed, as she asked, "Why are you always so damn loud?"

"Because he's Johnny," Jakes replied. "You should be used to this by now, Lauren." He turned his gaze to Ellie, who was now standing with her shoulders hunched over, watching the exchange in silence. "Don't worry, Ellie, you'll get used to it after a while."

She lifted her head and locked eyes with him. "Do I have much of a choice?"

He shrugged. "Eh. Not really," he said. "It's either that or kill him, which isn't really an option because we kinda need him around."

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled. "I think I'd like to go to my room."

"Third floor. First door on the left," Paul informed her. With a curt nod, she grabbed her suitcase and dragged it up the stairs to her room, leaving the adults in an awkward silence as Paul sighed and ran his hands through his unkempt hair. "Well, this is going to be so much fun."

Lauren surveyed him with her green eyes. "Seems like you two have a lot of issues," she commented.

He raised his head and nodded. "You have no idea, believe me," he said. "Honestly, we hadn't spoken in three years before all this happened. As far as Ellie's concerned, I'm not anywhere close to a father to her. I think I'd really like to fix that."

"Sucks to be you, Briggs," Johnny remarked, laying a hand on his shoulder as he shook his shaven head lightly. "You know, in all my years, I am so glad that I don't have a daughter. Especially not a teenage one, because they do _not _seem fun to deal with."

"Last time I physically saw her, she was eleven. She was still into playing with dolls. Now, she's sixteen and according to her rap sheet, she's been arrested three times for shoplifting and a DUI. I can't even believe that she's the same girl," he explained.

Donnie chuckled. "That's what kids do, Briggs, they grow up. Albeit, sometimes they get a little more hostile when they do, but I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually," he assured him.

"Yeah, I hope so," Paul murmured.

* * *

Ellie watched as the waves lapped onto the sand, splashing at people's ankles as they walked along. Wind blew her wild hair into her face. She hugged her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Her hands clutched to her jeans tightly.

Her lips trembled as she sat on the ground. Tears drifted down her face in tracks. She was jerked out of her trance as a loud bark reached her ears. Looking up, she saw a stray Collie standing in front of her. Its fur was straggly and matted.

Slowly switching so that she was sitting cross-legged, she reached out her hand.

"C'mon, boy," she called, rubbing her fingertips together gently. After a few moments of staring, the Collie began to creep forward, until her fingers brushed against its head. At her touch, the dog came forward enough to let her fuss him properly.

Her hands moved carefully to scratch behind his ears. A soft chuckle tumbled from her lips as his tongue began to loll out of his mouth and his big brown eyes closed.

"Looks like you've made a friend."

Ellie jumped. Her sudden movement caused the dog to sprint away from her, tearing off down the beach. Scowling, she squinted up at the person who'd joined her. It was Johnny. He sat down beside her on the sand and rested his elbows on his knees, letting his hands dangle between his legs.

He shook his head gently when she said nothing. "Silent treatment, huh?" he asked. "Okay then. Two can play at this game."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air for a few minutes. When Johnny didn't leave, Ellie pushed herself up to her feet and brushed the sand from her jeans. As she turned to walk away, Johnny reached up and snagged her wrist in his hand. She looked down in irritation.

"What do you want?" she demanded. "Because I just want you to leave me alone."

He sighed. "Your dad told me what happened. He didn't give me all the details, but I know what you've been through. I know you and your dad may not see eye to eye, but the least you could is give the rest of us a chance. I mean, this is the first time we've met you. None of us have wronged you in any way. Just give us a try. That's all I'm asking."

As his grip slackened, Ellie jerked her arm away and turned on her heel before speeding off down the beach, leaving wet footprints in her wake. Johnny sucked in a breath and muttered, "Well, this is gonna be a fun ride."

* * *

Charlie was exhausted when she arrived through the front door of Graceland. She pulled her hat from her head and shed her jacket. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she winced. The make-up on her face was unreal. Dark shadows had been brushed onto her face, making her look gaunt and tired. Her teeth had been made to look rotted. Grease clung to her tangled hair. In short, she looked disgusting.

A creak on the stairs made her turn, to see a young girl staring at her. The girl's eyes widened in shock and she began to back away. Charlie's brow furrowed. Then it struck her. This was Ellie. Briggs had mentioned that she was coming to the house. Clearly, Ellie didn't know it was her.

"Whoa," she murmured quickly, moving forward a little. "Ellie, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm -"

She was cut off as Ellie's hand reached out and she snatched up a china vase sitting on a table. Moments later, Charlie had ducked out of the way to avoid the flying object which would've caused a nasty mark. There was a loud crash as the vase hit the wall behind her and shattered.

"Just stay the hell back," Ellie snarled.

Moments later came the sound of people thundering down the stairs towards them before the other agents of the house appeared, with Paul being the first one to appear. He visibly relaxed as he took in the scene: a terrified Ellie, the broken vase, Charlie dressed as a junkie. It was pretty obvious what had happened.

Gesturing with his hand, he declared, "Ellie, meet Charlie. Charlie, this is Ellie."

Charlie let out a little laugh. "Yeah, I can tell," she said. "Good aim, by the way."

Ellie said nothing, simply shrugging in reply and turning round. Her eyes met Paul's as she tried to move past. "Can I go through?" she asked.

"Sleep well," he said, before stepping aside to let her pass.

There was no answer as she kept walking. Paul didn't push it. Instead, he simply waited until he heard her bedroom door close, and then made his way up to his own room. The other agents all exchanged a look before going their separate ways.

**So, here's the first chapter of Storm! I'm not entirely sure what you all think of it, so I'm hoping you'll let me know if you like it, because your feedback would mean a lot to me :)**

**Beth xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The wind whipped a salty breeze into Ellie's cheeks as she jogged, her legs pumping even through the ache in her muscles. Finally, she reached the end of the pier and stopped, placing her hands on her knees and panting hard. Once she'd got her breath back, she leaned against the railings and looked out over the ocean.

Then she spotted it in the distance and scowled. No matter where she seemed to go, Graceland always seemed to be there somehow. It was like she couldn't escape it. As she cast her eyes out over the water, she saw the clusters of surfers far away. There was one moving like a dancer among the waves, dipping and turning as he allowed one complete monster of a wave to carry him. And she knew, _just knew, _that it was him.

Everyone in Graceland seemed confused by her hostility towards him, but they had no idea. What she'd been through, what she'd seen, what he'd done … or hadn't done, rather. To them, he was a hero. To her … he was a part of her life she thought was gone.

She was jerked out of her thoughts by a tugging on her jacket. Ellie looked down, only to find the stray Collie pulling at her clothes. She laughed and reached out to pat his head. "Hey, boy," she greeted.

The dog's jaws opened and the jacket slipped out from his mouth. She crouched down to make a fuss of him.

"How does a gorgeous guy like you not have a home, huh?" she asked softly. "I mean, just look at you! I bet you'd win over all the ladies if we got you all cleaned up, am I right?"

It was then that she noticed him. As she looked up over the dog's head, she could see him leaning against the railings of the pier. He was clad in a leather jacket, a tight white t-shirt and jeans which clung to his shapely legs. Blonde hair flopped over one green eye. A small smile adorned his face.

Ellie could feel the blush rising in her cheeks as she looked away. Sure, he was hot as hell, but c'mon. I mean, she knew the rules at Graceland – no one without a badge upstairs … Ellie was the only exception to that particular rule, and that was only because of who her dad was. What was the point of having friends if you couldn't even invite them up to your room to talk? Her friends would be bound to ask questions which she couldn't answer.

Just as she was thinking about it all, her phone began to buzz in her pocket. A quick glance at the screen told her who was calling.

"_Where are you, Ellie?"_ Paul asked from the other end of the line.

She shrugged, and then remembered he couldn't see it. "I went out for a run. Why does it matter?"

The crackly sigh that came next hurt her ears a little. _"Am I not allowed to worry about you now?"_ he questioned.

"Well, why start now?" she demanded.

"_Look, I don't wanna start another fight, I just wanted to know if you'll be back for dinner," _he told her.

She pondered the question. "See, now that would depend on what we're having for dinner," she answered.

He chuckled. _"We were thinking of ordering in a couple of pizzas,"_ he said.

"... Chicken and mushroom with sweetcorn?" she asked after a few moments.

"_Sure. We might as well."_

"Huh. Is it possible we're actually having a conversation without a fight start?"

She heard the little snort of laughter that came before his exaggerated gasp. _"It's true!"_ he exclaimed. _"We should call the media."_

Ellie allowed a small smile to flit across her face. "Well, maybe not. Might have a bad effect on you. I'll be back soon," she said. "See ya."

And with that, she hung up, shaking her head lightly. It was a rare occasion when Ellie got on with her father. Everything they'd been through made it difficult to maintain a good relationship, what with Paul always being undercover, and being unable to alert his family to his whereabouts in case he put them in danger. It was one of the main reasons why they hadn't spoken in so long.

With a small sigh, she placed her hands on her knees and stood up, wiping her forehead on the back of her hand and taking a swig from her water bottle. Then she began to jog home.

* * *

When Ellie arrived through the front door, she found all residents of Graceland sitting on the couch. Including Paige. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of whether to join them or head to the solitude of her bedroom. As she stood there with her hands in her pockets, her dad turned to look at her.

"Hey," he called softly. "You gonna come and sit down or stand there all day and stare?"

She shrugged. "I should probably go shower first," she answered. "I kinda stink and you probably don't wanna sit next to me when I don't smell too good."

He nodded. "I'll order the food while you shower. See you in a little while."

Placing her jacket on one of the pegs by the front door, she took off to her bathroom. Steam filled the room as she waited for the water to warm up, coating the mirror and the window with its vapour. As she stepped into the tub, she let out a content little sigh at the feeling of the hot spray warming her up, and cleansing her. It soothed her aching muscles and washed away the thin sheen of sweat coating her skin.

It seemed like hours before someone knocked on her bathroom door, making her jump before she switched off the shower. "Yeah?" she called. "What is it?"

"Pizza's here," her dad informed her. "You should probably hurry if you don't want Johnny to eat yours."

As soon as she heard him leave her bedroom, she climbed out of the shower and grabbed a fluffy white towel, wrapping it around herself and exiting the en suite. Quickly, she padded over to the dresser lining one wall and rifled through it until she found a comfortable looking pair of pyjamas. Within a couple of minutes, she was dressed, dry and on her way downstairs.

When she arrived in the front room, she saw her pizza box sitting on the coffee table beside a can of Pepsi. There happened to be a space on the couch in between Charlie and Paige. Both women moved to the side slightly to allow her to sit down.

"So …" Johnny said, "… What are we all gonna watch?"

Ellie gave a little smirk before replying, "Game of Thrones."

Paul turned his head to stare at her. "Please, tell me you've never watched that," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because there's sex in that show, Ellie!" he answered.

"There's sex in real life too," she informed him curtly.

He folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, which you've never had, right?" he asked. No answer. "Right, Eleanor?"

She shook her head. "I'm not getting into this right now," she told him.

"You're sixteen years old!" he cried.

"So are a lot of people who've had sex. People have sex younger than that," she reasoned. "Look, this is not a conversation we should be having now. It's not the time or the place."

Charlie held up a hand as Paul opened his mouth to reply. "Briggs, that's enough. If you're gonna interrogate the girl, do it later. Not in front of all of us," she said. "And not during dinner. We don't wanna hear that."

After one quick, "We're not done talking about this," he closed his mouth and began to eat. Ellie kept her dark eyes cast down the whole time, not making eye contact with anyone. As she ate, she felt Charlie reach over and squeeze her hand. She gave a quick squeeze back, before flashing a small smile. It was then that she knew that she liked Charlie. After all, she was pretty cool.

* * *

Her fingers flew across the keys of her laptop as she wrote. Ellie was wasting no time in tapping out a reply to the email she'd had from one of her friends back home. At the same time as it had been easy to think of the words to say, it was hard too. She was forcing herself to sever all ties with everything and everyone she'd ever known.

As she typed, there was a sharp knock on her bedroom door. Her visitor didn't even wait for her to call out before they walked in, closing the door behind them. He sat on the bed. His dark hair was sticking up at all angles from where he'd been running his hands through it.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said, Ellie," he told her. "About you. About the fact that you've had sex."

"Can we not do this?" she begged. "I mean, you know now, do you really have to go all Dr Phil on me now? It's done, let's just leave it."

Paul shook his head lightly. "I know that I haven't been there for you, really, I do. So please, let me try to be there now." She stared at him. "Who was he?"

She shrugged, huffing as she answered, "Just some guy I knew. He was a friend, he was cute. We were at a party and in the heat of the moment it just happened. We haven't spoken since. It sucks, but it's just life, I guess."

"I really am sorry that I wasn't there, El," he told her. "But you're here now, and you need me, so I'm gonna be there for you, okay?" He stood up and crossed the room, crouching down and taking her face in his hands. "You can tell me anything." He chuckled before adding, "God knows whatever you've done, I've done worse."

"I get it," she said. "You don't have to worry so much. I get that you're here now."

He smoothed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ears. "Good." With that, he planted a quick kiss on her forehead, stood up and left the room.

As soon as the door closed and Ellie heard his footsteps fade away, she leaned back, covered her face with her hands and began to shake with the sobs that racked her body. Tears leaked through her fingers and dripped from her chin as she fought not to make a single noise. God, if he only knew.

**Oooooh, mysteries! Well, I wish to thank both Eeebee and CelticCrossings for following Storm, you both made me extremely happy and I hope you enjoyed this chapter very much :D So, to all my lovely readers, let me know what you think, I really wanna know!**

**Beth xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Donnie kept a hand on Ellie's shoulder as they walked into the building. His fingers dug into her flesh until she was sure there'd be a bruise left behind. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage as she moved with trepidation. She felt so unlike herself, having swapped out her skinny jeans and t-shirts for the light blue dress which hung of her body, making her look thinner than she really was. She had replaced her Converse high-tops with a pair of ballet flats.

"Just remember to let me do the talking, okay?" Donnie muttered. "We'll sail through this."

All she could manage was a tiny nod of her head. Her mouth was too dry for her to choke out a single word. That was when they came to the huge oak doors. Donnie released her to push them open and stride through. Ellie followed closely, making sure to keep her head down, not make eye contact with anyone.

She looked up briefly, only to watch him embrace the man they were meeting. Attilio Sorvino. Sorvino was a large man, tall, with a rounded stomach and greying hair. And yet, there was something powerful about him. He oozed confidence from the way he stood to the clothes he wore. His very presence was enough to make the hairs on the back of Ellie's neck stand to attention.

"Donnie, amico mio! E 'bello vederti! Come sei stato?" Sorvino boomed as he beamed at Donnie.

The agent simply smiled and replied, "English, please, Attilio. My companion here doesn't speak Italian, I'd prefer if she knew what was being said."

Sorvino nodded. "But of course!" he exclaimed, before turning to the girl in question. "Signorina, it is a pleasure to meet you. I trust you are being well taken care of?"

"Yes, sir," she answered softly, reluctantly forcing herself to meet his eye. "Mr Carlton is very kind to me."

"As he should be! Tell me, what have you been told of our … business, eh?" he asked.

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I was told that I would be helping you carry out sale, but I wasn't told what kind of sales they would be," she replied.

Donnie ran a hand through her hair as he smirked at her. "She's a good girl," he informed Sorvino, with a dark chuckle. "Always does as she's told, don't you, sweetheart? She won't give you any trouble about doing her job, will you?"

Ellie shook her head lightly. Just as they'd planned it. Talk as little as possible, don't slip up. The less information given away, the better. Less chance of getting caught out later on. She'd barely had two days preparation on this before she was cast out of the frying pan and into the fire. And now she had to try not to get burned.

**2 days earlier …**

_Three weeks since she'd moved to Graceland, and already she'd started school. She was beginning to get used to the house, and the people who lived there. She knew the basics of the cases they were working on, but no names. They couldn't risk names being given out._

_The day she'd been told about the case, it had been a normal day. She'd gone to school, come home, completed her homework. She'd just paused the TV to go and check on the dinner. The smell of pasta bake had filled her nostrils as she opened the oven door._

_She had jumped when the front door opened and Jakes, Donnie and Lauren entered, all immersed in a deep conversation._

"_How are we meant to infiltrate?" Donnie had been asking. "We don't have anyone we can use, you know the type of people they use to transport the drugs. You think the DEA has any agents like that who we can use?"_

"_Rough day?" Ellie had called. It had meant to be an innocent question, simple with and easy answer. Instead Donnie had looked up and his eyes had narrowed. He had given Jakes and Lauren a look._

_Ellie had no idea what they'd been talking about when Lauren had blurted out, "No. Hell no. Briggs would never go for it."_

_And yet, amazingly, he had gone for it. After much persuasion, cursing and pleading, he'd agreed. Of course, there were his terms. Ellie had to be fitted with a transmitter which she could easily turn off. Anything went wrong, she and Donnie were out there like lightening. Briggs had to be allowed to listen. And if Ellie got hurt, there would be hell to pay._

**Now …**

Sorvino turned to a young woman on his right. Eighteen at most. Her blonde hair was cut short, her blue eyes outlined with so much eyeliner that she slightly resembled a panda. Her dress was short, and black. It clung to her body, accentuating how skinny she was.

"Ana," he called. "Do me a favour and show Ellie what sort of work she'll be doing. Donnie and I need to talk."

Ana nodded, pursing her lips. She tottered over on heels so high it was a wonder that she didn't fall flat on her face. Reaching out with one hand, she took Ellie's wrist gently and began to pull her away from Donnie's somewhat comforting, if not a little painful, grip.

"Come with me," she ordered. "Mister Sorvino and Mister Carlton need to talk. Come."

Reluctantly, Ellie followed the older girl through twisting hallways. She just hoped that her dad would be able to find out where she was at all times. Finally, they came to the back door of the huge house, and Ana slipped through, beckoning with one long finger.

The pair made their way down to a shed in the garden. Ana reached out and pushed the door open, before ducking inside. Ellie followed, closing the door behind her. She couldn't stifle the little gasp that came out of her mouth.

Lining every panelled wall were guns. All sorts of them. Shotguns. AK-47s. Pistols. Snipers. You name it, she saw it. But what really caught her eye was the table in the centre of the shed, piled high with briefcases and needles.

Ana chuckled softly as she watched Ellie's expression change to one of shock. "You did not know we would be handling such things?" she asked.

Ellie shook her head. "No, I had no idea," she lied, slowly making her way to the table. "What is it?"

"Heroin. Mister Sorvino is kind. He supplies me with it, even when I am not demonstrating to his customers. He says it is because I'm a loyal employee, but I believe it is so I won't tell the police about his … business," she explained.

With expertise, she loaded a syringe and held it out. Ellie took the hint and shook her head. "I don't think Don- Mister Carlton would be happy if I took that without his permission," she said. "He doesn't like me to try things without his consent, just in case."

Ana shrugged, and grabbed a rubber tie from the table, knotting it around her arm so that her veins stood out against her pale skin. "Suit yourself," she murmured, as she pulled back the plunger of the syringe. She was about to pierce the vein with the tip of the needle when Sorvino and Donnie entered.

"Ana, you were meant to show our guest what we do, not use the drugs yourself," Sorvino hissed, marching over and snatching the syringe from her hands. He cast his eyes upon the younger girl. "Tell me, have you ever used this before?"

"No, sir," Ellie answered. "Never."

"Would you like to?"

She looked to Donnie, who nodded and held his hand out for the syringe. "Let me," he offered. "I wanna be the one to give the girl her first shot." He tied the rubber around her arm with speedy expertise, slipping the little ball into the crook of her arm before anyone even noticed it was there. Like lightening, he injected the heroin into the ball, before whipping it out of sight and stepping back to watch the 'magic' happen.

Ellie allowed her eyes to roll back in her head, swaying as she let out a breathe of euphoria at the feeling which was meant to be making its way through her. Donnie reached out and caught her as her knees buckled, lowering her into a chair.

"Is that good?" he asked her, loudly enough so that Sorvino could hear.

She nodded her head weakly, murmuring a little, "So good."

She pretended to be dazed, forcing herself to contain the little grin which threatened to break out across her face when she heard Donnie and Sorvino arranging the deal. The idiot was playing right into their hands. He was so going down.

Ellie kicked off her flats as the group all entered Graceland. Paul clapped her on the shoulder, grinning down at her as she looked up in surprise.

"You did good, El," he told her. "Sorvino actually bought it."

She shrugged. "Well, if it weren't for you guys, I would probably have screwed that one up big time," she said. She grabbed a brush and began to tease her hair into two smooth sections, before tying them into plaits. "I gotta get out of this dress. I hate dresses."

Paul laughed loudly as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Well, I know what I'm getting you for your birthday," he joked.

"You had better be kidding!" she warned as she made her way upstairs with the ghost of smile playing on her lips. In the time since she'd moved, things were actually getting oddly better in terms of her relationship with her dad.

Once in her room, Ellie stripped off the dress and yanked on a pair of jogging bottoms and an oversized t-shirt. She pulled on a pair of fluffy bed socks and made her way back down to the front room, where Donnie was waiting in the kitchen to talk.

"You did pretty well today," he informed her, handing her a can of Coke straight from the fridge. "We're hoping that we can get a little more on Sorvino's operation if we can get you in it. You'll need to be wired and …"

"What else aren't you telling me?" she asked in a small voice.

He sighed. "Ellie, when you do the drop, I can't be there. You're gonna be on your own with Ana, which means you'll have to know how to defend yourself. The dresses you wear will be able to conceal a small knife, but not a gun," he explained. "I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be dangerous as hell."

She popped the can open, took a gulp and asked, "So, if anything goes wrong, I'm screwed? That's what you're saying, right?"

"I will try to convince Sorvino to let you use a gun, but as far as he's concerned, the couriers are expendable, they're just pawns in his big old game, so convincing him will be hard, even if you are technically my girl," he told her.

"But you guys will be listening in, or at least, Paul and Lauren will," she said. "So if anything goes wrong, help won't be too far away. I'll just have to hold out until they get there. Look, I've been thinking this through more than you guys can count. I've got this, Donnie."

He stared at her, before advising, "Don't be overly confident, Ellie. Remember, this is meant to be your first drop. Drug mule Ellie would be terrified, so put yourself into her position. Be nervous, but not to the point where they'll drop you if they think you'll screw up. And try to get close to Ana too, she might let something slip."

She smirked and shook her head. "God, so much work to do," she remarked. "Let's hope I don't forget it all, huh?"

"Oh, God, please don't. The last thing I want is to face your dad if you get hurt, because he will kill me," he said.

"You're damn right I would."

Ellie and Donnie jumped, and turned to find Paul leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest as he watched the interaction between them. He pushed off the frame and walked over. He stood in front of Ellie and met her eyes.

"Just remember, you survived today. All you have to do is make it through the drop. Can you do that for me, El?" he asked.

Chewing on her lower lip, she gave a nod and Paul smiled. "That's my girl."

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUN! So, what do you guys think, because personally, I loved this. I wanted to skip a bit so that we could start to get into the action, because I didn't wanna go through the whole first day of school, new friends, blah di blah di blah. To CelticCrossings, I wish to reply and say that this is set three months before our little Levi arrives, because I'd like to include the whole thing of, "Ellie likes Donnie, she thinks he's cool, how does she react when he leaves and Mike comes along?" You know what I mean? Fear not, Levi will arrive eventually, I'd just like to establish more relationships with the other agents first. **

**I'd also like to thank LegendarJessica, ****les-tveiterables, kk bk (I'm glad you like it, by the way :D) for following/favouriting. You all rock, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter**

**Beth xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Ellie was a little girl, all she'd wanted was to grow up and be a "police officer like Daddy." She had wanted to save lives, to put the bad guys behind bars and to be a hero. She had played with toy guns and as a teenager, she'd learned how to fight. Judo lessons had been an essential part of her every day routine.

The one thing she'd never realised she would encounter was the position she was in now. She hadn't expected to be kneeling on the floor with a gun pointed at her head. She hadn't expected to be fighting for her life. She hadn't expected to be unable to save someone. God no, that was not part of her plan.

**23 hours earlier …**

"I look like a moron," Ellie growled, glaring at Paige as she wielded a pair of curling tongs in one hand and a mascara wand in the other.

"Sweetie, you look fine," Charlie informed her as she lounged on the bed. "Trust us, that's how Sorvino likes his couriers to look, just chill."

She looked at herself in the mirror and scowled. Her hair was curled and pulled up into a high ponytail. Her eyes were outlined in black and her dress was so short it was a miracle no one could see what she had for breakfast that morning!

"I look like a panda," she muttered.

Paige laughed. "Pandas are cute, Ellie!" she insisted. "Besides, you look more like a kid trying to look sexy and looking adorable instead."

Her eyes narrowed and she snarled, "I am _not _adorable!"

"Believe me, if I had my choice, you wouldn't be wearing that," Paul informed her as he entered the room. "But you saw what Ana was wearing, and you need to look convincing. No dealer's gonna take you seriously as an addict if you're walking around in little girly dresses like a four year old."

"How exactly am I meant to hide a knife in this?" she demanded.

Paige tapped the padded sides of the dress, designed to make her look more curvy that she really was. "In there, El, are pockets. In both pockets, there is a knife."

"And how am I meant to get the knives? By sticking my hand up my dress and asking them to excuse me a moment?" she asked.

Paul chuckled as he patted her on the shoulder. "No, Ellie," he said. He pulled the material apart to reveal a cleverly disguised slit in the dress, where the pockets could be accessed. "You see?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh. I see now," she said. "Whoever makes your clothes is a genius. I would never have thought of that."

"Well, we have to be able to hide things which can't be detected. Speaking of …" He opened a small box sitting on the dressing table and pulled out a small hair clip, before clipping it into her hair, just out of sight. "This will send us audio and video transmissions, so we know exactly what is going on."

"Is there a way to turn it off in case they sweep me?" she asked.

He nodded. "Just put your hands on your head. There's a little button you press to turn it off, and you turn it on again once they've swept you. When it's time to move in, just click your tongue three times and we'll be right there. Failing that, turn the transmitter off and on twice."

Ellie leaned back in her chair. "Huh. Well, you guys have just thought of everything, haven't you?" she commented.

"We kinda have to. One wrong move and –" He drew a fingertip across his throat. "- no more us."

"Comforting," she drawled. "Really. I have total faith in this whole thing now."

He flicked the tip of her nose gently. "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and intelligence. You'll be fine. Have faith, young padawan."

She batted away his hand, rubbing her nose as she scowled. "Whatever you say, Obi Wan Kenobi," she replied. "Although, you know, I'm not exactly comforted much more. It's still pretty scary."

"If we had anyone else to use, believe me, we would. Unfortunately, Sorvino only uses teenage girls, probably to avoid undercover agents poking their nose in. Guess he didn't figure on a situation like ours, huh?"

"Do you think he'll actually kill me if he gets the chance?" Ellie queried.

He stared at her long and hard for a few seconds before answering, "No, El."

She threw her hands up in the air. "You had to think about it!" she cried, exasperated. "That means you're lying to me!"

"Look, if he tries anything, we'll be there like lightening. Just hold out as long as you can and we'll be fine," he advised. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, before handing her a pair of shoes. "Now c'mon, get ready. We don't have much time."

* * *

Donnie's car was warm and comforting to Ellie. It had considerably calmed her trembling, but there was still a slight tremor, noticeable only if you looked closely. Donnie glanced at her as he drove. There was a small beep from his phone.

"Can you see who that's from?" he asked her.

One look at the screen told her what her answer was. "It's Paul," she replied. "You want me to see what it says?" At his nod, she picked up the phone and opened the message. "He said that the transmission's coming through like it should. They can see and hear everything."

He chuckled and, in an attempt to lighten the mood, joked, "Maybe you shouldn't look through my pictures then, huh?"

Ellie forced a small smile, which slid off her face as they arrived in front of the large house. As the car rolled to a stop, she opened the door and stepped out, nearly falling over as she struggled to balance in her heels.

"Couldn't you have picked some smaller shoes?" she muttered, knowing full well Paige could hear her. "I feel like I'm about to break my ankles."

Donnie patted her shoulder gently. "Just remember … I've got your back," he assured her.

Slowly, they began to make their way to the house, Donnie holding Ellie's arm in a desperate attempt to ensure that she wouldn't fall flat on her face. Fortunately, she had enough luck on her side to make it to the huge oak doors without losing her balance too much. Ana opened the door just as they arrived. She raked her eyes over Ellie.

"She looks like she could be one of Mr Sorvino's girls," she informed them. "Come. Follow me."

Ellie began to totter after her. _Let the games begin_, she thought to herself.

* * *

"So, do we just wait here all day for them to arrive?" Ellie asked Ana.

Ana looked at her briefly and let out an irritated sigh. "We wait as long as it takes. That is what Mr Sorvino wants, so that is what we do," she replied. "And we don't complain about it."

She looked at the older girl, head cocked to one side as she observed her for a few moments, before asking, "How long have you been doing this? Working for Mr Sorvino."

After a couple of minutes, she heard Ana gulp and then she answered, "Since I was fifteen. My mother, she and my father moved us over from Serbia when I was eleven. She was insistent that I would learn English and go to school like all of the other children my age, but my father did not agree with this, and he left us. My mother was poor, she didn't have enough money, so she sold me to Mr Sorvino for a lot of money."

"Jesus Christ," Ellie muttered. Sure, she'd had a crappy life, but to be sold to a man like Sorvino? That was just harsh. And by her own mother? Even worse.

"I do not want your pity," Ana snapped. "Mr Sorvino gives me food, money and shelter. He provides me with clothes and some of his supplies. I live a good life, it is only right that I pay him back with work."

That was when the silver car pulled into the otherwise empty parking garage, and Ana perked up, eyes wide. The car ground to a halt and two men in suits climbed out of the front two seats. One of them circled round to the back door and opened it to allow a third man to clamber out.

He was tall, with tanned skin. His black hair was slicked back and a small goatee decorated his stern face. His clothing taste oozed superiority. The suit he wore was an expensive cream coloured one, complimented by the mocha shirt underneath. A large blue ring glittered on his pinky finger.

He looked around the building, before his eyes met Ana's and he beckoned her over. With one long arm, she reached into the backseat and pulled out the duffel bag hidden in the footwell.

"Come on," she muttered to Ellie, before stepping out of the car and strutting over to the man. Ellie followed closely, eyes averted and fixed on the ground, at an angle which mean the camera could catch an image of the man's face.

The man looked down at Ellie and held out one large hand. Slowly, she shook it, giving a small nod as she did so. "You're new," he drawled. "Why are you new?"

"Mr Sorvino hired me temporarily. My boss offered to let him borrow me," she answered softly.

With a small nod, he turned to Ana. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe, which he threw on the floor. "My employee injected himself with some of the last batch last night. He is now _dead_," he hissed. He drew back his hand and struck her. The sound of the stinging slap echoed through the air. "What is your boss playing at?"

Ana gasped. "I do not know! I had no idea! M-maybe he injected too much -" Ellie winced as the man slapped Ana again with enough force to knock her to her knees.

"It was laced with PCP!" he bellowed. "This was murder! I will ask you again … what is your boss playing at?"

She began to cackle, a mirthless laugh as she struggled to her feet. "He wants you dead, every single one of you. You are vultures! You demand drugs in return for your protection, and yet you do not protect Mr Sorvino's business!"

In one swift movement, the man whipped a gun from his pocket, pulled back the hammer and fired. Ellie watched in horror as Ana dropped to the floor, blood pooling behind her head as her eyes stared, unseeing. The man turned on Ellie, raised the gun again and prepared to fire …

"Wait!" Ellie screamed. "I didn't know, I swear, I didn't! Please, just call Mr Sorvino, ask him what happened. I had nothing to do with this, I'm just as confused as you are."

He watched her for a little while before lowering the gun to his side and nodding to one of the suited men. One pulled out a phone, whilst the other forced Ellie to her knees, fingers laced at the back of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, heard angered babbling into the phone.

"I want answers, Sorvino!" the man roared. "You'll be here soon, and you'll give me the answers that I want. Hurry up! _And come alone!_"

With that, he snapped the phone shut and walked over to Ellie, grabbing her face and forcing her to look him in the eyes. "If you try anything, if anything goes the way I don't like, you'll die, do you understand me?"

Ellie nodded. "Yes," she murmured, "I understand."

He let go of her and scowled. "I don't take pleasure in killing children, but if I have to, then I will," he admitted. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Sorvino arrived promptly, completely on his own and clutching a bag. He hurried over to the man, his face turning pale at the sight of Ana's lifeless form.

"I am so sorry," he gushed. "Please, let me make it up to you." He held out the bag and shook it. "It has everything you could want in it."

The man glared, eyes flashing as he grabbed the bag and pulled out a syringe, before holding it out to Sorvino. "Your associate said that you tried to kill me and my men. Prove this isn't the case. Shoot up," he ordered.

Sorvino turned paler still as he took the needle in a trembling hand. "Please …" His eyes flicked to Ellie, "… Make her do it. The girl, she is far better."

Ellie clucked her tongue three times. "But if there is PCP in that, you'd have nothing to lose by killing me, but if you die … your whole operation falls apart," she stated.

"The girl is right," the man said to Sorvino, with a cold chuckle. "Now, do as I said, or do we have a problem?"

There was no time for Sorvino to answer before a slew of unmarked police cars roared into the garage, sirens blaring. Ellie let out a small sigh of relief as the agents of Graceland climbed out of the cars, guns drawn, and began to yell out orders. It didn't take long for the dealers to surrender, before Briggs rushed over to Ellie and pulled her to her feet.

"Sorry about this," he mumbled, as he cuffed her hands behind her back and began to read her rights, pushing her into a car as he did so. As soon as he was in the front seat and was tearing out of the garage. "Had to make it look like you were being arrested too, or they'd have suspected something."

"That was terrifying," Ellie mumbled. She felt the tears prickling behind her eyes as she thought of Ana and her shoulders shook while she sobbed. "I let her die! He killed her and I couldn't protect her!"

Briggs looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Eleanor, that was not your fault," he told her. "There was nothing you could have done to save her. In this life, we can't save everyone. Things don't work like that."

Ellie's sobs soon quietened down to little sniffles as she sank down in the back seat for the remainder of the journey home. Briggs listened to the soft sound of her breathing and let out a small sigh. He knew from experience that seeing Ana die would haunt her for the rest of her life and she had a long way to go until she could get past it. But he'd be with her, every step of the way.

**So, guys, this is how her first case ended. They got the bad guy, but Ana didn't make it. Unfortunately, I won't have as much time now, because I just started my job, so updating is going to be made even harder. And, if anyone has any lovely little prompts for the next chapter, I would greatly appreciate it, and I would credit you. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter, and I'll try to update soon. **

**Beth xxx**


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